Affliction

by Doodle19

Everybody has problems and everbody chooses to deal with them in their own way. So when the world around Rachel and the walls she put up come crashing down, how will she deal? And will anybody be there to help her survive? Rating subject to change.

24. Surprises from all People

Chapter 24: Surprises from all People

Things between the mother and daughter pair appeared to be getting better. The several days following their first talk were rather harmonious. That Saturday, the Corcoran Berry bunch took a day trip to an aquarium together and had a fun time. It was one of the first days they didn't get into some sort of argument; not a small one or a large one. They were just the picturesque family they wanted to be. But none of them would hold their breath. It had only been one day. That wasn't much time for the act to wear off and the novelty to fade. But they were going to enjoy the waves of happiness as they came.

Once finished at the aquarium, Shelby took Rachel and Beth to La Ballerine to pick up her order. "You don't have to come in." Rachel hoped Shelby wouldn't. She was trying, but too much time together and she'd instantly become the bad seed she knew she was. "I won't take that long. Quick; in and out."

"We can all go in." Shelby responded as she parked the car and unbuckled her seatbelt. "That way you can look around and make sure you don't need anything else and Beth could see all the pretty things." Shelby crooked her head to look towards Beth. "Won't that be fun?" The little girl giggled.

"Yeah, a whole lot of fun…" Rachel said it so quietly, no one could hear. She was trying, but it had only been a day and she was on the verge of failure. What did that say about her? How could she be the best daughter, the perfect daughter when she couldn't even get through one full day without the urge to snap or run away?

"Well, are you just going to sit there or are we going in?"

"I'm coming." Snatching her purse off the car seat, Rachel quickly caught up to Shelby and Beth.

They walked into the store and the bell above the door chimed instantly alerting the owners to their arrival. Rachel had no idea why, but they loved seeing her. She knew what she got out of being around them, they were the extended family she never had, but they didn't get anything out of being so kind and open with her. She should've been nothing more than a patron to them, but they took to her, embraced her, and made her feel welcome. She wished she was more like them. She wished she could be that way with the Corcorans. She had a whole family that she wasn't ready to meet.

Annette and Elaina rushed over to them with big smiles on. "Rachel, we're going to go look around. Find me when you're ready."

"Ok." Shelby could see that the women wanted some time with Rachel, and she was willing to give it.

They arrived, all bubbly and welcoming, just as Shelby was running off with Beth. "It's so good to see you again Rachel. And so soon."

"Well, you know I can't stay away from here and I had to pick up my leos."

"Hey, you just had auditions right?" getting a nod from Rachel, Elaina asked, "How'd they go?"

"Great apparently. I've got a wonderful spot." A genuine smile graced Rachel's delicate feature. Being around them almost always did that to her. "So, want to fit me for some new shoes?"

"Of course. Follow me." The three made their way to the back after Annette sent one of the other workers to man the front.

Subtle glances were exchanged every so often between the elder pair. They discussed Rachel several times since they last saw her. She was darker. The sweet little girl they knew and loved was different. And she looked so tiny. Something was wrong. And they really hoped it wasn't what they suspected it was. While Rachel was more of a singer than a dancer, she was still a girl and fell prey to the same pressures. A girl, or a guy, didn't need to want to grow up and be a Prima Ballerina to become a disease's statistic. Anyone was capable.

"So…" Elaina nervously began, but Annette gave her an encouraging bob of the head. "How have you been lately?"

"You mean since I saw you like a week ago?"

"Since or before then. How have things been at home?"

"They're going well Elaina. Shelby's… Well, we're getting used to each other." Less than ten minutes in and she was already spinning fiction. "And I have a sister now."

"You do?"

"Her name's Beth. She's just a baby though, so we don't do much. But we just went to the aquarium today."

"That's fun. You didn't tell us about her last time."

"She didn't really come up. That's all." She didn't want them reading too much into it. So she didn't mention Beth. Big deal. She also didn't tell them that she was having sex or that she pretty much hated her life. Some truths were overrated, but neglecting to mention Beth was just an accident. She didn't come up in conversation, and that was that; nothing more, nothing less.

Rachel could sense there was something on their minds; she just didn't know what it was. A part of her was afraid to find out. "Have you been sick?"

"No, why do you ask?" She knew where they were going then, and she thought they covered it last time.

"It's just that you're so tiny still Rach. And I swear you're even smaller now than you were last time."

"You don't have to worry about me." She assured them with a sigh. "I promise I'm perfectly fine. Even my doctor agrees with me." That had yet to be confirmed. "So stop it. I'm fine."

"Are you sure Rachel?" Annette stepped in, placing a hand on Rachel's scrawny shoulder and looking her right in the eyes. "Because if there's more." A deep breath for dramatic effect… "Then we're here for you. We'll help you however we can."

"I appreciate that. I really do." Rachel started as she stood up. She needed to get out of there. "But I'm fine. There is absolutely nothing wrong with me."

"We don't want you doing anything to hurt yourself. What you're doing can be dangerous." They knew they were jumping the gun. There was no definitive proof, but they've seen it one too many times before. People could die from that illness. People have. And they refused to let Rachel be one of them. So they'd step out of bounds and push the limits. That was the only way they could live with themselves. "We don't want you getting hurt." The way Rachel looked like a deer in the headlights basically confirmed their suspicions.

"I don't know what you think you know, but you don't know anything. I'm fine. I'm not hurting myself. No one's hurting me. Everything is just fantastic." Nothing she said was convincing.

"We're always here for you Rachel." Elaina repeated her mother's earlier sentiments.

"I know, but I've got to go." She grabbed the shopping bag her new leos were in off the floor and started rushing away. "Call when the new shoes are in."

They knew better than to follow after her. She was still in denial. The only thing they could do was try to get to Shelby before she did, and possibly let her in on their suspicions. However, Rachel would get there first. After running away from Elaina and Annette, Rachel hurried to find Shelby. She frantically searched through the aisles until she heard the tiny giggles of her little sister and sprinted toward them. "Come on Shelby. Time to go." There would be no more surprises. That mini intervention or whatever it was, was one surprise too many. And she didn't even see it coming.

"Why are you rushing?" She asked with a worried expression as Rachel grabbed her arm. "Did you get what you needed?"

"Yes." Rachel practically began dragging her and Beth out of the store. "I picked up my order and even put in for new shoes. We're all set. So let's go."

"Ok Rachel, calm down. There's no fire." It was a joke, but Rachel felt like she was running from a fire. And any minute, the flames would catch up with her and consume her whole. She just needed to get out of there.

"I just remembered that I have an assignment to finish and I have no time to do it tomorrow with dance and Puck and everything. So we need to hurry." She didn't know when exactly the lies started to come so easily. She didn't know when that happened or how, but it really came in handy and she wasn't going to turn her nose up at a good thing.

"Ok, we're going." Looking back, Rachel could see Annette and Elaina both standing at the end of the aisle they just exited. She managed to keep them from Shelby and breathed a sigh of relief, but it wasn't over. The contentment of escape wouldn't last long and there would be more obstacles to hurdle. She wasn't looking forward to them. Being her was exhausting. "What was that all about?" Shelby asked as they loaded into the car.

"What?"

"You. You were running out of there. Why?"

"I already explained why. I have work to finish and no time to finish it."

"Did something happen?" Why did she feel the need to push it? Rachel squeezed her fists in attempt to ward off the anger that was welling. No one would leave her alone and she desperately wanted to snap, but she reminded herself that the day was going so well and she didn't want to ruin it like she did everything else. She already, possibly, lost her friendships with two women she knew better and longer than her mother. Her fathers were dead. She had no friends. What else did the world want to take from her?

"Control yourself Rachel. Control yourself." She reminded herself. "Nothing happened Shelby. I'm tired. We had a long day. I remembered my assignment, and now I just want to get it done." Her knuckles may have been bloodless from the tight fist she was making, but at least she stayed calm. The act would live to see another day.

"Ok." Shelby picked up on her defensiveness and didn't really understand it. She was just being a concerned mother, wondering whether something was wrong with her kid. There was no reason for a shield. It wasn't a sword fight.

There was some mindless chatter on the way home; a little of this, a little of that. But it took some time before Rachel's hands weren't in fists and her temper calmed. She hadn't snapped, and she was happy with herself, but she still needed to get away. How did everyone in her life just assume that she was a problem? How could people just look at her and know that something wasn't right? She was tired of people seeing through her when all she was trying to do was cover up. Transparency wasn't attractive. And it sure wasn't a quality she wanted to possess. It also wasn't a great quality to have when there were so many secrets to keep hidden. Secrets that with time, would eventually come out, but she was going to prevent that as best and as long as she could.

The week carried on, all issues aside. With the exception of a few tiffs and spats about little things, they were doing alright. Rachel just took everything out on herself more, Holding her temper and doing her best to control the mood swings wasn't easy, but squeezing her fists until her nails dug so deep they drew blood from her palm or putting pressure on a healing wound until the original sting returned always seemed to calm her enough to get her through. Puck and Quinn even came over to see Beth. Rachel hid in her room to avoid as much time with them as possible. But once Quinn left and Shelby brought Beth to her room, Rachel hostilely worked on her project with Puck. And by work she meant spending the first half hour explaining and explaining what his part of the project was and giving him deadlines. The hour after that was silence between them as they did their own thing while keeping appearances of hard work for Shelby.

The doctor called with her test results on Thursday. Shelby informed Rachel of everything after dance as she dragged her to the pharmacy to pick up a prescription. Apparently, Rachel was anemic; something, Rachel knew, could also be attributed to her veganism rather than her eating disorder. There just wasn't enough iron in her blood. It was like her golden ticket. All the symptoms were very similar to those that, deep down she knew were really from her eating habits, she experienced after too much exercise and not enough food. Dizziness, lightheadedness, mood swings… It gave her more reason to carry on with what she was doing. If she got caught, she could blame the anemia. It was her red herring.

But there was more. "Dr. Cantor explained that some of your levels were off balance."

"And? What does that mean exactly?" Rachel asked not really nervous about the answer. As long as she could keep doing what she was doing, she really didn't care. Health be damned.

"He thinks… He's pretty sure that it has to do with your weight loss."

"What are you talking about?" Her question came out angry. She knew Shelby had been watching her recently. There was no denying that. So Rachel put on her show and appeased Shelby enough to get her to back off, but they never really got into an in depth conversation about her weight. If they did, Rachel wouldn't be able to control herself. She'd probably start screaming about how fat she was and that everyone kept saying they were there for her if there was something wrong, just like Annette and Elaina, but there was nothing wrong. She didn't want to discuss weight. That was a topic better left for her and her journal. It was no one's business but hers and people needed to respect that. And that included Shelby. Whether it was genuine concern or her trying to make up for lost mothering time, Rachel didn't care. She was fine. Shelby needed to get that.

"Rachel." There was that scolding tone again. Shelby didn't want to fight with Rachel either. She just needed her daughter to understand that she wasn't healthy and they needed to work on that. "He said that you need to eat more in general, but you also need more well balanced meals."

"I don't see the problem here. I eat highly nutritional meals; all of which consist of vegetables and grains and are full of nutrients. They're all healthy. That's part of being vegan. Why is that a problem?"

The entire ride home was a lecture from Shelby explaining that, while she had been eating more than she had when she first moved in, she wasn't eating enough. Shelby dished out an answer to all of Rachel's rhetorical questions; the ones she asked just to get Shelby to stop. Mostly, however, Rachel just leaned back into the head rest and pretended to listen. Whatever Shelby was spouting, she was sure it wasn't as important as the scenery she was staring at. Nothing she did seemed to deter Shelby's incessant ranting. And when she continued, even as they pulled into the driveway and made it into the house, Rachel had enough.

"If I promise to stuff my face will you stop with the lecture?" The question came out as an exacerbated plea. She just wanted Shelby to shut up. In that long hour, from dance to the pharmacy and lastly to the house, she heard more words from her mother's mouth than she had, in total, over prior years. And then the surprising and unwelcomed topic didn't lighten the mood.

With a deep sigh Shelby replied, "Fine, for now I will." As soon as Rachel gave a small smile of accomplishment and was about to leave, Shelby spoke again. "But… But you have another doctor's appointment in two months. If you haven't put any weight on by then… well we'll discuss that then. Let's just say it will be dealt with however necessary." Great, another surprise.

"Ok." Just continue to smile Rachel. Play it cool. She couldn't let Shelby see how much the words affected her. They weren't cruel words, not to a normal person, but to Rachel they were the equivalent of any insult. The world wanted her to be obese. The world wanted her to suffer at the hand of her own failure. She wouldn't allow that. It didn't matter what anyone else wanted or what they expected, that was one thing she would make no effort to compromise on. If there was any change in her weight, it would be a loss, not a gain and the world that seemed so against her would just have to accept that.

Composing herself just enough to make it to her room, Rachel finally let it out. There was some huffing and groans and screaming into pillows; nothing to alert Shelby to her mini breakdown. Without hesitation, she reached under her desk for the hidden razor. Finding an untouched piece of skin on her forearm was hard, but she managed it. And once she did, there wasn't an ounce of reluctance before she dragged it across the vacant lot and watched an angry red liquid army flow freely from her arm. It was just the release she needed.

Fixated on the dripping life force, she didn't realize how much time had passed until her thoughts, or lack thereof, were interrupted. "Rachel, dinner."

"Crap." She said aloud to herself as she noticed the new stain on her carpet and the blood still seeping. "I'll be right there." There was little hope that her voice didn't sound panicky. She just hoped that Shelby didn't pick up on it or just thought it was Rachel being Rachel. Whatever she thought, she didn't come, and, for that, Rachel was grateful. "First the wound, then the carpet." She thought and got moving. If she took too long Shelby would come looking and that was not something she could let happen.

Hurriedly, she cleaned herself up. Her arm was becoming a breeding ground for scars and cuts. She was reluctant to use the other arm as a canvas. There was still a part of her that was afraid to cut too deep and she had less control with her left hand. She had done it before, and those cuts always bled the longest. It may have felt great in those few moments where she threw caution to the wind, but she wasn't ready to die yet. Sometimes, though, she couldn't help it. Her emotions just got the best of her.

Anyway, after doing a rough patch job and spraying stain cleaner on the carpet, Rachel rushed to the kitchen. There was no avoiding it. Food wasn't her friend, it was her enemy, but she had to live with it or deal with Shelby. She wasn't sure which was worse. Fortunately, Rachel got down there just as Shelby was about to come up. Crisis averted. Dinner went off without a hitch. A phone call interrupted the meal and Shelby excused herself from the room long enough for Rachel to empty a majority of her plate into the trash without looking suspicious. Overall, the dinner didn't suck. There was little conversation and Shelby didn't really watch her at all. She got away with all her tricks. It was great, but she did notice Shelby was acting a little strange, like the phone call rattled her or something. It seemed like she wanted to ask something or say something to Rachel but was too nervous to do it.

Whatever it was, Rachel was thankful for the shift in focus. She was free to do whatever without threat of Shelby. And she took full advantage of it. The stain was still there, starting to set and staring her right in the face, when she returned to her room. Cleaning time… A little elbow grease and rough scrubbing and it was almost good as new, or passable. At least there wouldn't be any trace evidence; a conspicuous stain would be hard to explain if Shelby ever saw it. That would be another thing to add to the list of many things she wouldn't be able to explain or talk her way out of.

It didn't matter. It was cleaned and all that was left was tending to her cuts. The patch job got her through dinner, but it wasn't meant to hold. She escaped Shelby just in time because the sleeve of her shirt was no longer its original hue. What was once pale blue turned a dark shade of rich red. She barely escaped capture. If Shelby had seen… Rachel didn't even want to think about what would have happened. So she didn't, and the rest of the night went easy.

And then it was Sunday. Puck came over that day. They only had another week to work on their project so they needed to get it done. First, however, Rachel had dance to go to. Shelby dropped her off and returned home to find Puck already there waiting on her doorstep.

"What are you doing here? Rachel's not back for another few hours." She said clutching Beth at her hip and used the other hand to search for the right key.

"I know. I was just…" He hated that he had to beg for time with his daughter. "I was hoping to see Beth again, before Rachel got back."

Shelby wanted to say no. There were rules, but the look on his face told her he needed it. "You can come in Noah; just don't make a habit out of this. We schedule these things for a reason."

He got a yes. He was happy. "I know. Thank you."

Shelby gave them their space, keeping watch from a safe distance. He wouldn't hurt her, so a little alone time wouldn't do any harm. But she was still a cautious mother when it came to the toddler so she'd definitely keep aware of every move. Puck was aware of her too. There was a lot on his mind, but he knew Shelby was close by watching him and he didn't want her to think he was crazy. So his thoughts remained just that; silent words floating through his mind.

Ever since their blowout or whatever it was, Rachel had been on his mind a lot; more than he cared to admit. Every time he tried to talk to her anything other than their assigned topic, and she would only talk to him or listen when they were working on their project, she just reminded him that it wasn't time to socialize. They were partners in class and nothing else. It was a slap in the face. Like it was his fault… She was the one all over Finn. She was in his bed.

All he wanted to know was why. The Puckerman was more than good enough. So what was with girls and their obsession with Hudson? Finn was an ogre where he was a stallion. He just didn't get it. He and Finn may have been buds, but Puck would never understand why all girls fell for him. With Rachel, someone he had formed a friendship, which neither could admit was more than benefits, with, he thought she was over him. It appeared like she was until he saw them in bed together. Granted, he never gave her the chance to explain. He just turned up the douche bag to high and said things he probably shouldn't. He was feeling things he didn't want to feel for Rachel and he let the anger get the best of him after seeing her with Finn.

He was a man. He was allowed to get jealous. But he knew he needed to get her side of things and attempt to work things out.

That was hard, though, when she wouldn't even allow him the leeway to apologize. Her words got to him. Her calling him Puck and not Noah got to him. The distance after getting so close got to him. Everything about Rachel was getting to him, especially because he knew she was struggling. He didn't know what it was that was going on, but he knew she was struggling with something. He wanted to be someone she could turn to, but she wouldn't give him the chance.

So he had a plan to make her give him the time of day; a surprise. They were going to work things out. All he needed was Shelby's permission and a little bit of time. That seemed reasonable. So she was grounded; whatever. There were ways around every rule. His specialty was finding them.

As his time with Beth was coming to an end, Puck sought out Shelby. Time to find the way around the rule… "So, you're going to go pick up Rachel?"

"Yes Noah, I'm not going to make her walk home."

"Right…" He had to make her drag it out of him. Things tended to work better that way.

"Is there something on your mind?"

"I can watch Beth while you go." Plan 1: Real alone time with Beth.

"I don't know."

"It's ten minutes, we'll be fine Shelby."

"Fine." She reluctantly agreed, but there was more. His face told her there was more. "What else is on your mind?"

"Can Rachel come out after she changes and does whatever girls do after dancing?"

"She's grounded. I'm sure she told you. She's not allowed out of the house unless I'm with her."

"I know, but we need to go to the library. The school didn't have the books we needed so we have to go to the public library." He threw in an eye roll and some other slacker moves at the mention of the library. Shelby was impressed he even knew where it was. He probably vandalized it at one point.

"I don't know." She wasn't sure she bought it. Rachel probably put him up to it to get out of her punishment.

"We're going to a library, not a party. Lighten up."

"She can go with you, but you have to bring her home by six for dinner." He needed more time for his plan to work. There was no way they could get there, hash things out, and get back by then.

"I can take her to dinner." He suggested and Shelby looked at him curiously. "Not like a date or anything, but I'll make sure she eats and I'll have her back by ten." That was late.

"I don't think so."

"Look, I'm Puck. I don't do libraries. People see me there and my rep is ruined. I want to finish all the book crap now so we don't have to do it later. The less time I spend there the better. So please?"

"Have her well fed and home by nine." That was her compromise. The fact that Noah was actually doing work made her want to give them the time away to do it.

"Deal." Plan 2 in progress… Shelby' approval received. Next up was phase two, Rachel's involvement. That was the tricky part. But it would come to fruition.

Shelby took a good five minutes to push out the door, but once she was gone, he got quality time with his daughter. "You're gorgeous." He whispered to her. Being with her was so easy. He loved her, and he always wanted to be with her. He just had to remind himself that being with Shelby, and Rachel by default, was what was best for her. Sitting there, talking to her, playing games with her; it was all so simple, so perfect, and easy. Life outside of that room just wasn't like that.

Time seemed to zip by. In no more than the blink of an eye, they were back, Rachel was showered and changed, and it was time to go. "You ready?" He asked her.

"Yeah, let's get working." She responded obliviously. Not knowing he meant leaving the house, she began unpacking her bag.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting everything ready."

"No, we're leaving." What was happening? Rachel wasn't in the mood for anymore surprises.

"I'm grounded Puck." There it was again, like a stab in the heart. Puck… "I can't leave."

"I got permission" Rachel was wary at best. "You're going to want to come with me. I swear." She still didn't want to move. "Just trust me." What she said in response killed him.

"I don't." But she left with him anyway. After a quick stop at his house that Rachel refused to pay any attention to, they were on their way. It took nearly thirty minutes before she realized they were nowhere near the intended destination. At first, she thought Puck just got turned around; got lost because he never actually went anywhere near the building in fear of actually learning something or being forced to read a book. "Where are you going Puck? I thought we were going to the library."

"That's just what I told Shelby."

"What?" Anger, lot's of anger…. "If she finds out, I'll never get off house arrest!" And she'd only ever be able to run in the dead of night with creepy serial rapists and murderers running rampant. "I can't stay trapped in that house any longer than I have to!" She was really considering hitting him, but that would most likely cause his hand to jerk and an accident to occur. Then Shelby would undoubtedly find out and her punishment would be extended to infinity and beyond.

"Relax Rachel." He made a patronizing breathing motion. "I got it all figured out. Just enjoy the surprise." Because surprises always worked out well for her. They really didn't.

"Right, you have everything figured out."

"What is your problem?" She hadn't been doing it purposely, not always purposely, but while they were working, she tended to throw in some snide remarks intended to get under his skin. And while in a moving vehicle, trapped with him, it seemed like the perfect time to get her to listen.

"You are my problem."

"Why?" Get her to talk; he had to get her to keep talking to him.

"You have no consideration for anyone else." The doors were open; all the thoughts she was holding in were threatening to come out. She couldn't control it anymore. She tried, but she was quickly losing the battle. "It's always about you. The big bad Puck gets what he wants; everyone else be damned." She mocked.

"Hold up there Rach…"

"No Puck!" His name came out in pure animosity. "I'm sick of it…. of you… of everyone… of everything." He had a feeling she wasn't just talking about him.

"I don't get you."

"What's there to get?"

"One day we're in bed together and the next thing I know you're all over Finn. Did you sleep with him too?"

"What kind of question is that? Who or what do you think I am?" Realization suddenly hit her. "That's what this is all about? The party?" She huffed. "You saw me with Finn." He just glared at her while simultaneously trying to keep an eye on the road.

"Hell yeah, you were all over him. Cuddled up in his bed…" Venom spewed with each word. He didn't like the thought of her with Finn, not after she had been with him. "Was he better than me?"

"You men and your ego..." Everything about this was stupid. Neither knew the other's truth. "It's ridiculous. You don't even know what happened? But how'd you even see us anyways? You were with Quinn all night? What were you two doing?" Nothing about their conversation was nice or civil. But it was what it had to be. In order to move past it all, they had to get it out in the open.

"Shit Berry, I wasn't with Quinn, but even if I was it wouldn't be your business. What I do with chicks got nothing to do with you."

"Obviously it does. We were sleeping together. I deserve to know what skanks you were with on the side; what diseases they might have shared." She took the angry glance she got as incentive to push it further. "I think I deserve to know what parting gift I may have received."

"Right and you're little miss perfect. You didn't hop from one bed to the next." That wasn't what he envisioned when he thought up the plan.

"I didn't!" She screamed.

"I saw you." He quipped back.

"No!" Eyes squinted in anguish; she turned to him and bore holes into his head. "You saw what you wanted to see. What you really saw was a drunk and sleeping Finn squeezing me so hard I had no choice but to stay. What you saw was him forcing a kiss and me, respectfully, rejecting him. That was what you saw."

He was dumbfounded. He was positive they were together that night. Finn even hinted at it to him in the locker room. "But you… and he…" What the hell was supposed to come out of his mouth? He was a bitch to his friend because of something that never happened.

"Exactly… I'm done talking with you." She declared. "Just take me back."

"We don't have to talk right now, but you have to come with me." He may not have said the right thing and he wasn't about to go declaring love neither of them felt, but he was going to show her they were friends; that they were more than bed buddies. He needed her to understand that there was more to them.

"No." She was adamant, but she wouldn't get her way.

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes Rachel. I worked hard on this and you're coming." They argued back and forth for a while, but, after threatening to jump out of a speeding car, Puck just turned on the child safety locks and sped up. It would be a long and quiet drive, but they'd get there.

The next hour and a half, give or take some time, was eerily silent. At most, a few glares were shared; mostly Rachel glaring at Puck. She had enough of the bad surprises to last a life time and she didn't need Puck adding to the stress. Even the music couldn't break the tension. But they made it to their destination. Somewhere along the way, Rachel appeared to doze off, so as they pulled into the lot and parked, Puck gently jostled her body in attempt to wake her. She had been awake though, just pretending to sleep. She was avoiding anymore talking.

"Come on, we're here."

"Where's here?" She had yet to open her eyes.

"Look outside and you'll know." He knew she'd like this surprise and if all went well, they'd have a real friendship, relationship… something afterwards.

Small delay in uploading. This chapter was giving me trouble and I had to take some time to finish a painting I was working on. I don't feel great about this one, but everything that happened in this chapter and the next, happened for a reason. It all ties into the next few chapters after.

I'm surprised no one picked up on the small homage to Lea and Spring Awakening last chapter.

I apologize for any grammar and spelling errors. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Until next time…

I want to say that I'm so grateful for all of the wonderful comments. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, favorited, and/or added this to their alerts. Don't be afraid to tell me what you think or if there's anything you'd like to see happen.